The likelihood of Alzheimer's disease and diabetes

A biomarker in the brain indicates the presence of diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

Medical news based on Medical Xpress materials: New biomarker predicts Alzheimer's disease and link to diabetes

Scientists are constantly looking for new biomarkers that can be used to diagnose diseases in the least painful way. At Iowa State University, experts have found that an enzyme that can be found in the fluid around the brain (so in the text – VM) reflects a person's condition, and the higher the concentration of this enzyme – autotaxin – the more likely it is that the patient suffers from Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes. The head of the work, Auriel Willette, explained that the goal of him and his colleagues was to find metabolic biomarkers of diseases as close to the brain as possible, as close as possible without tissue biopsy.

The researchers stated that even minimal changes in the level of autotaxin – for example, from 2 to 3 – increase the chances of receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by 3.5-5 times, and if we talk about diabetes and prediabetes – by 4 times. Earlier, the same scientific group managed to find a correlation between brain degeneration and insulin resistance, but the new biomarker, due to its proximity to the brain, gives significantly more accurate results. In addition, high levels of autotaxin may also be associated with obesity.

According to Auriel Vilette, people with an increased concentration of autotaxin in the body have nerve cells in the temporal and frontal lobes, firstly, smaller in size, and secondly, these nerve cells themselves are smaller. As a result, such people cope much worse with tests, which was shown by studies involving 287 patients aged 56 to 89 years.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  22.12.2016